The Moon Told Me So
by hollow.harbinger
Summary: It's been two years since the coronation and the disaster that followed; now Elsa, the Ice Queen of Arendelle, is struggling with a new inner turmoil: the isolation of a lonely heart. Jelsa/ Jack Frost X Elsa/ in progress. Rating & Title subject to change. Please read & review!
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: _

_So I'd just like to say that Frozen is seriously my new favorite movie. And ever since I watched it, all I can think about is writing a fanfiction for Elsa and Jack Frost. Because they're seriously the perfect crossover couple. I just came up with this idea tonight—and it's two in the morning, dear god—and I have no idea where I'm going with it yet. But please enjoy! I have literally no life, so I'm going to try and post a chapter each day (no matter how short)._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen OR Rise of the Guardians_

* * *

_Chapter One:_

It had been two years since Elsa had been crowned Queen of Arendelle, everyone had learned of her ability and her sister Anna had found her true love. How had time passed so quickly? It felt like only yesterday that she had discarded her glove and her kingdom along with it, creating an eternal winter in the middle of July.

All her old problems seemed so silly now, her powers that she'd once thought were a curse had become a blessing, something she treasured above all but her sister and the wellbeing of her kingdom. Which, now that she thought about it, was all she really had.

Anna often asked if she was lonely, seeing how she spent almost all of her free time with Kristoff, either helping him with his ice business or just hanging around the palace with him, Sven, and Olaf. The question had made the Queen laugh rather sarcastically, making a remark about how she'd always been alone. And then a thought rang through her mind, making her chest ache in a completely unfamiliar way, _"And I always will be"_. But she didn't dare say it aloud. It would probably break Anna's heart.

So she went about her day in her usual routine: wake up, bathe, put on something fitting for a queen, eat in the dining hall with Anna and Kristoff, do the paperwork required for the day, eat lunch, more paperwork, dinner, and she'd finish off her day with a stroll around the palace gardens. And then she'd go to sleep and wake up to do the exact same thing again the next day. She'd complain that the days were growing tedious if she hadn't spent her entire adolescence cooped up in her room with the exact same schedule each day. The only difference now was that she didn't have to deal with sudden outbursts of her powers and the erratic emotions that came with it.

But at least Anna was getting to experience all the things she never had the opportunity to when she was younger. Elsa smiled at the thought, as long as Anna was happy she could be happy too.

The Queen opened her wardrobe and ran her hand across her collection of silky gowns. She settled on a dark blue dress with intricate silver flowers embroidered along the tall neckline and the hem and a translucent, white train that draped over her shoulders before sliding delicately behind her and onto the floor. She pulled on opaque white tights and black boots, preparing in advance for her stroll around the snow-covered garden later in the evening.

She turned and walked over to her mirror, gazing into the eyes of her reflection. Part of her contemplated pulling her hair up into a bun, like Anna had started wearing her golden locks, but she settled on sweeping her bangs back then tying her hair into a loose braid down her back and pulling it over her left shoulder, as she'd grown accustomed to doing.

As she sat down at the head of the table like she did each morning, Anna greeted her with a voice more chipper than usual. "Elsa!" She chirped, "You look even more beautiful today—better. Happier? Yes!" She laughed and Elsa smiled back at her.

"Thank you, is that a new dress?" She asked, scooping up some of her scrambled eggs up with her fork and putting them in her mouth, "It's lovely."

A blush crept onto the Princess' cheeks, she nodded. "Kristoff got it for me, since the winter has finally started."

"Where is he this morning?" Elsa asked, sipping on the rich hot chocolate one of the maids had set out for her. It reminded her of when both her and Anna were little, before the accident, and they would build snowmen in the ballroom. She had always preferred the chocolaty drink over coffee, even though it made her feel the tiniest bit childish.

Anna smiled and picked up a piece of toast, taking a loud bite before answering with her mouth full, "He's out with Sven and Olaf, the cute little snowman wanted to spend the day out in the first snow," She giggled and took a large gulp of orange juice. "Are you excited for this weekend, _your highness_?"

Elsa blinked, "This weekend?"

Anna burst out laughing and leaned back in her chair, "You can actually be forgetful sometimes too, huh?" After a few more bites of toast and a piece of bacon she continued, "It's the Winter Festival! All the neighboring kingdoms are coming down for the ball and there's going to be so much food and dancing," She swayed back and forth in her chair, "I was afraid the snow wouldn't come in time."

_Oh, right._ Elsa thought, feeling a sense of dread fill up her stomach. "I completely forgot," She admitted. It wasn't that she didn't like having the gates open and allowing people to fill up the ballroom and the halls, in fact she welcomed it after what had happened two years ago. It was just that she'd have to deal with the hordes of men that wanted to dance with her in an attempt to _woo_ her. And insincere people were her least favorite kind; she knew any man that approached her was really just approaching the throne in an attempt to be a part of it. She sighed and took one last swig of her hot chocolate before excusing herself and heading up to her study to bury herself in her queenly duties.

Before Elsa knew it, the sun had disappeared from the sky and only the dim light of dusk was shining through her window. Anna was knocking on her door, telling her in a rather concerned voice that dinner was ready.

Elsa mumbled something about how she'd be right down and sighed. She didn't want to leave the room, she didn't want the day to end. The sooner that moon rose into the sky, the sooner tomorrow would come. Which meant they were another day closer to the festival. But she'd worried Anna by staying cooped up in the study all day, she hadn't even come down for lunch. So she stood, smoothed the wrinkles in her dress, removed any trace of dread that still might be lingering in her expression and then descended the stairs into the dining hall.

After dinner and a sweet, chocolaty dessert with Anna, Elsa headed out to the palace gardens to revel in the beauty of the first snow. She walked around the fountain and through the rose bushes that still bled red underneath the fresh powder. She walked until the moon rose high in the sky and she reached the clearing.

As Elsa's eyes scanned the landscape, she felt chills run down her spine.

Usually this place was like a meadow, it was unkempt unlike the garden and tons of different flowers dotted the grass. She had expected the same soft layer of snow to coat this forest floor, the flowers broken under the weight of the powder… but there they stood, frozen solid in ice. Each one was delicately coated, as if to preserve their beauty.

But the strangest part was not the flowers; it was the intricate swirling patterns embedded into the trunks of the trees and frozen into the grass, zigzagging around the flowers, creating a symmetrical masterpiece.

It was beautiful, so beautiful that it was unnatural. Elsa felt her fingers twitch; she could feel the magic in the air. She wished she could take credit for this but she knew for a fact that she hadn't done this.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Alright! There's chapter one. I tried to make it long but it ended up a little shorter than I wanted…_

_Oh well. Please review anyway! Let me know if I should keep going and any ideas you might have for the future of this story._

_(also, the title is subject to change if I think of something better. Suggestions welcomed and encouraged)._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note:_

_Uh. Holy shit. I did not expect this to take off so quickly (if at all). You guys are amazing! Ten reviews, four favorites, and thirteen followers in about twelve hours. Not to mention a crazy amount of views. _

_Seriously, thank you. Knowing that people enjoy this and are excited about reading it is really motivating. There's no better gift you can give a writer. _

_Well, enough of my sappy thank you, onto chapter two!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen OR Rise of the Guardians._

* * *

_Chapter Two:_

The castle was in constant chaos, there were so many preparations to make before the festival, whether it was prepping food for the next day, cleaning each of the dusty guest rooms and the long hallways, polishing the dark, wooden floors in the foyer and the ballroom or fetching the most elegant china from storage to set out on the tables—the staff was buzzing about the halls so frequently that Elsa found it impossible to concentrate on her work. In fact, it was really starting to get on her last nerve. Each time the commotion would cease and she would finally get into her paperwork, one of the maids—or more frequently, Anna—would be talking excitedly outside the Queen's door or running around.

So Elsa gave up and fell back dramatically on her sofa near the window and began twirling snow around her fingers. She focused on creating different things out of her ice: rabbits, a fox, she even managed to create a small ice sculpture of Anna and Kristoff dancing. She smiled despite the fact that she couldn't get the expressions on their faces quite right. Then again, how could she possibly capture the expression of love when she had absolutely no idea what it felt like…?

Elsa wondered for moment if she would ever be lucky enough to experience something so beautiful…

And then she felt the tears stinging her eyes as she reminded herself that her heart needed to remain alone. She had Anna and the kingdom, and that was all she needed. They were her responsibility. The Queen forced a smile, closed her hands and the ice dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

She needed to stop being so foolish; she was a _Queen_. There were bigger problems than her lonely heart. She needed to get up and focus and do the work that needed to be done.

But Elsa didn't move, just laid there, draped over her sofa. She had no desire to move or do her work or do anything at all really. And so that's exactly what she did. She ignored the knocks on her door at dinner and ignored the unfinished paperwork on her desk. And she stayed like this, eyes fixed on the winter storm raging outside. Part of her wondered if it was the result of her mood, but she quickly shunned that idea, she almost had complete control over her powers now that she wasn't running scared from them. She wished she'd known it was as simple as accepting it and acknowledging it, it would have made her childhood a little less stressful. She might have even been able to enjoy the things in life that she'd recently found herself dreaming about.

With yet another sigh, Elsa sat up. She could have stayed like that forever if the fire in the hearth hadn't begun to die down. Sure, she could have let it burn out and continued her evening of nothingness, after all she never got cold. But she loved the way the orange light glowed off the crystal chandelier and the way the shadows danced on her walls. And even though she wasn't really even looking at it, the idea of it dying out seemed lonely.

So she stood slowly and sat on her knees in front of the weak flames after she grabbed a couple pieces of firewood from the stack and tossed them on top of the embers, fiery red and pulsing with heat.

Elsa smiled at the warm solace of the fire and soon found herself drifting off to sleep, more content than she'd felt for months, as the heat warmed her up to the bone.

* * *

The winter festival began on a Friday evening and stretched long into the weekend, not concluding until Sunday afternoon, which was when all the people from the neighboring kingdoms would board their ships and return to their homes. But of course, Elsa was getting ahead of herself. It was only Friday morning and she was already excited for the hordes of both nobles and citizens to leave—when barely any had even arrived yet.

Despite that though, the dread the Queen had been feeling for the festival had subsided the night before. Now there was only indifference and maybe the slightest bit of annoyance revolving around the fact that she was responsible for entertaining hundreds of people for the next two days. And though she wouldn't admit it, she was the tiniest bit excited about the ball that would be held Saturday night. Sure, she'd have to dance with tons of power-hungry men, but she loved dancing and she loved the music that filled the air. Plus, there was something so satisfying about seeing the ballroom filled to the brim with colorful, smiling guests. So she'd dance with whoever asked until her feet were bleeding because was in dire need of some fun.

Anna seemed to sense Elsa's attitude change and went on and on about what kind of dress she thought the queen should wear to the banquet tonight and the ball tomorrow and then she delved into a deep, rather complicated story about how she had found the perfect dress but another woman had bought it before she did and she went racing all around Arendelle looking for her and bribing her in order to get the dress back.

Soon after their conversation, Elsa found herself getting worked up about not knowing exactly what dress she was actually going to wear, so she rushed to her bedroom laughing to herself about how Anna's enthusiasm was infectious.

She decided on a royal blue gown that faded to a silvery white towards the hem with a tight bodice, dotted with light blue rhinestones and sheer, lace sleeves decorated with the smallest of snowflakes for the banquet. And for the ball she chose a light blue dress that hit her at her ankles. It was the same dress she'd created with her powers all those years ago that fell loosely off her shoulders, minus the long train of course.

As she slipped into her gown for the banquet, Elsa found herself remembering the magical, icy art she'd found in the meadow two days prior. It was so strange—what could have caused that? There was no one else in Arendelle with her abilities, in fact as far as she knew there was no one else in the world. The thought sent shivers up her spine just as it had when she'd gazed upon it during her walk. And it kept tugging on the back of her mind until the banquet, where it was impossible to focus on any one thing with all the people talking and the savory smells greeting her nostrils, and then of course the dessert table.

"Elsa!" Anna called through a crowd of people who'd come from the kingdom in the west, dragging Kristoff behind her as he apologized for her pushing. "I have an _awesome_ idea!"

Elsa smiled at the couple, "And what might it be?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes, "It's a terrible idea, really."

"Shush, it isn't! Elsa, I propose we eat nothing but what is on _this_ table!" She turned to face the array of chocolate, fruits, and sweet breads that decorated the dessert table. Anna picked up a cookie and stuffed the entire thing in her mouth, "C'mon, your highness!"

Elsa raised her eyebrow but laughed nonetheless and agreed to the challenge. "We're going to get so sick, Anna." She said as she grabbed a strawberry and dipped it in the fountain of dark chocolate.

"I can't believe you're doing this too!" Kristoff said, letting out an exasperated sigh and mumbling about how Elsa must have been the bad influence all along.

"If it's chocolate's fault, it's totally worth it." Anna grinned.

* * *

Elsa opened her eyes and shielded them against the bright morning sun as it streamed through her curtains. She felt a small smile creep up onto her lips as she remembered what day it was, unsure if the smile stemmed from the ball that was going to be held tonight or if it was the because the festival was one day closer to being over. Either way, the sinking feeling of dread in her stomach was gone and that's all she cared about.

After bathing and putting on a plain white dress, Elsa braided her hair and walked to her study to finish up the work that she'd neglected a few days prior.

But when she entered the room, her eyes immediately fell on the window and the frozen fractals and patterns that were preset on the glass. Elsa felt her stomach turn and a burning curiosity rise up in her chest. It was identical to the crystalline swirls she'd seen in the meadow. She longed to know what caused it, but at the same time the thought of knowing terrified her… the possibility that she might not be completely alone in her magical world.

* * *

The Ice Queen had lost count of how many men she'd danced with in the span of two hours, their faces were a blur in her mind, their names escaped her—each and every one was terribly ordinary and forgettable. Eventually she stopped bothering to ask their names and just focused on the sound of the music in her ears and the way her feet slid effortlessly across the wooden floor.

It wasn't until she raised her hand to yet another partner and her fingers met an icy palm, that she was pulled back into reality and into the man's steel-blue eyes.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Woohoo, alright! Took me forever to write this… but I think I managed to make it just a tiny bit longer than the first chapter._

_Guess what guys! Elsa has just met Mr. Jack Frost._

_I seriously thought I'd never finish it._

_Please review! They make my day! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what I could have possibly done better, anything! _

_And thank you all again for so much support so early on in the story!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note:_

_There's more human interaction in this chapter, I swear. Haha. I'm sorry this chapter is out later than I anticipated.. I wanted to publish it on the 16__th__ but I got way too caught up in my art and *insert another excuse here*. Hahaa_

_So without further delay, here's chapter three._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen OR Rise of the Guardians._

* * *

_Chapter Three:_

Elsa and her partner glided expertly over the dance floor, some of the guests had stopped to watch them; even Elsa had to admit she was impressed with this nameless man's talent. In fact, she felt almost awkward and heavy footed in comparison to him. The way he moved, it was as if he was floating instead of dancing.

As the Queen looked up at his face and the slight smirk that resided there she found herself acutely aware of his cold hand on her hip and almost blushed at the firmness of his grip on her. Embarrassed, she decided to speak, "I'm Elsa, I—" _Stupid, stupid. Of course he knows my name is Elsa. _She cleared her throat, "Where are you from?"

He raised one dark eyebrow but kept his gaze steady. He had to look away from her face since their dance began, "I'm surprised you're speaking," He said with a grin, "I couldn't help but notice you've been quiet all night."

Elsa frowned and spun slowly under her arm as he unwound her from their embrace and then pulled her back. She hadn't realized it had been so obvious. "Where are you from?" She tried again, but not before marveling at his white hair so similar to her own.

"Far away," He said with a slight laugh, "Oh, you can call me Jack by the way."

"Just Jack?" She asked, not minding one bit that he'd effectively dodged her question.

"Jack Frost," He clarified, giving her a smile that she swore would melt even the most frozen of hearts. In fact, Elsa found herself so captivated by it that she forgot which way to move her feet to the next step and would have ended up tripping and landing flat on her face if it hadn't been for Jack's arm around her waist.

Rather embarrassed, Elsa immediately took two steps back from him, "I'm uh," she could feel her cheeks burning red, "I'm going to go get some fresh air." She turned away from him but could still feel his gaze on her as she walked too quickly out to the balcony that overlooked the castle gardens.

She welcomed the icy air as she pushed the double doors open and then shut them behind her. Elsa couldn't remember another time she'd been this flustered over absolutely nothing, her behavior must have looked absolutely ridiculous to Jack, not to mention anyone else who had seen. The queen groaned and sat down on the cold, stone railing, lifting her feet over the side so that they hung freely over the snow covered ground. All she could think about was how embarrassed she was, even as the minutes passed and the cold wind blew through her, the heat still burned her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands and sat like that until she jumped, hearing the doors click open.

"Mind if I join you?" Jack Frost's smoky voice sounded from the door.

She turned her head to look at him and had to stop herself from letting out an audible gasp at the way the moonlight reflected off his silvery hair and pale skin. "I-it's sort of cold out here—"

He shrugged, closing the door behind him, "The cold never bothered me anyway." Before Elsa could say anything else, he was beside her on the railing, staring up at the moon.

In the light of the night Elsa found herself studying him; the way his hair swayed in the breeze, his long, dark eyelashes and how they hung over his shining blue eyes, the profile of his perfect nose, pale lips, and strong chin, the way his chest gently heaved up and down with each breath he took…

_He's beautiful. _She thought shyly, nervously tugging on her thick braid that hung over shoulder.

After a few minutes of silence, Elsa wanted to take advantage of his trace and shifted to get a better look at his face, unfortunately her movement seemed to bring him back to reality. "Sorry," He said suddenly, turning to face her. "Did you want to be alone?"

"No!" She said loudly, surprising herself. Elsa cleared her throat and tore her gaze from his face, ignoring the burning in her cheeks. "No, I um, I don't mind company."

Jack let out a chuckle, "Alright then."

When Elsa turned her head back to him, the grin that adorned his face was even more breathtaking than the one she'd witnessed in the ballroom. Her heart jumped and she felt butterflies rise in her stomach as she gazed back into his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, almost frustrated, she looked down at her lap and groaned, "Could you _stop_ that?"

"Stop what?" Elsa couldn't see him, but she could hear the smile in his voice. She didn't dare look back up at him.

"Looking at me like that," She murmured. When he didn't say anything, she continued, "It makes it really hard to… focus."

And then Elsa felt Jack shift closer to her and as she looked up her nose grazed his and her breath caught in her throat as she stared this handsome stranger in the eyes. Her cheeks were so hot, she swore he could feel the heat from this short distance.

"Like this?" He asked huskily, the tone was almost teasing.

Elsa couldn't move but wide-eyed, she still managed to muster, "Y-yeah…"

She watched as he titled his face ever so slightly to the side, certain he could hear the thumping in her chest. Embarrassed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour, Elsa inhaled sharply after she felt the lightest brush against her lips. Jack seemed more surprised by the contact than she did and he quickly turned his head back in the direction of the garden, clearing his throat as his cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink in the moonlight. Though the contact was minimal, Elsa's lips were tingling and she lightly put her hand over her mouth as she realized she was the one who had closed the distance between them. Her eyes widened and she looked over at Jack who was grinning into the darkness, "I-I'm sorry…!" She said loudly, "I uh… I didn't um…"

He looked back at her over his shoulder, eyebrows raised, almost beaming, "Don't worry about it," Jack stood up right on the railing and shook his head gently, "I didn't mind." And with one final grin, he hopped off the balcony and landed lightly and silently on the snow a few feet below them. "I'll see you tomorrow your highness," He called as he disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I apologize this chapter was a little short… But it was entirely dedicated to the chemistry between both Jack and Elsa. I hoped you enjoyed this, please review and tell me what you thought!_

_Thanks to everyone who's followed and reviewed and added it to their favorites! Chapter Four should be out by the 18__th__ (but that's my birthday, sooo if it's late, I'm sorry!) and if not it will definitely be out by the 19__th__!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note:_

_Ahhh! I'm so sorry! Writer's block is a huge bitch. That, and I've had seriously the busiest, terrible last few days. Life's been a serious rollercoaster lately. Anyway, a quick update: _

_Once this story is over (whenever it happens to end, I haven't planned that far ahead yet) there will be a bonus chapter. As in, rated M, lovey dovey alone time. Smut. Shameless smut. So, when that time comes, the rating of this WILL change and obviously, don't read it if that sort of thing offends you… or if you're not mature enough to handle it._

_Lastly, a special thanks goes out to __**Nefarious Seraph 13 **__for her reviews—you seriously helped me decide how I want Jack interwoven into this story/universe. And of course, thanks to __**all**__ my reviewers and followers for the support!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen OR Rise of the Guardians._

* * *

_Chapter One:_

Elsa woke up in a daze; her dreams had been bombarded by a silver haired man with ridiculously blue eyes and white skin. Even as she laid in the soft sheets she could feel her the electricity on her lips from the night before. Why had she kissed him? Well, if she could even call the light brushing of lips a kiss. He was certainly handsome but there had been more there that she couldn't put her finger on. She felt a connection to Jack Frost stronger than she thought possible with any single person; an attraction that left her restless and flustered.

The Queen sighed and sat up in her bed, running her fingers through her hair. What was it about him? And why did she care so much? But most of all… why was she so anxious about seeing him again today?

Elsa had decided not to tell Anna about her encounter with Jack Frost. She was certain her sister would blow it completely out of proportion and the idea of describing the events and the way she felt out loud was embarrassing. So embarrassing in fact that Elsa found herself blushing at the thought. No, she wouldn't tell Anna. There really was no point anyway, he would leave today along with the rest of the guests to Arendelle and then hopefully she could regain some of her composure. Ever since she'd felt his hand in hers she had been so out of character…

Ignoring the agony rising in her chest, Elsa stood and threw on a dark blue dress, braiding her hair as she descended the stairs into the dining hall, where Anna and Kristoff were already waiting with multiple noteworthy guests, including—

Elsa gasped when she saw the man she'd spent the evening with, both at the ball and in a snowy dreamland, sitting across from her sister, who appeared to be laughing at something he'd said. The Queen smoothed any wrinkles on her dress and tried—unsuccessfully—to avoid the gaze of Jack Frost as she stepped off the last stair onto the wooden floor.

As soon as her heel _clicked_ against the wood, Anna's head snapped up and a wild smile appeared as she basically jumped from her chair, "Elsa! I want you to meet Jack Frost—he's from the Inboreas Kingdom. You know, the one in the North."

Elsa nodded, "I see. " She said, sitting in her chair at the head of the table, signaling for the breakfast to be brought out. "I actually danced with him last night at the ball. It's… um, nice to see you again, Jack." She said to him, picking up her mug of hot chocolate and taking a sip.

_Inboreas, _Elsa thought as she peeked at Jack Frost over her cup, who was not exactly dressed as one would expect when invited to have breakfast in the castle with the Queen and the Princess. Not that Elsa minded—in fact she thought he looked even more stunning without a sleek, black suit distracting the eyes from the angles of his face and the muscles in his neck—it was just that she was certain that she'd seen his bare feet under the table, which was more than a little strange, especially given the snow that was gently falling from the sky outside.

It was strange too that he was from Inboreas; that kingdom had shut itself up years ago and despite sending the invitation for the noble family and its people, Elsa had never gotten any sort of reply. He must have been the first person from the arctic to visit Arendelle in years.

"Pleasure's all mine, Elsa." Jack said with a grin as he smeared fresh lemon curd over his biscuit.

Elsa ignored the burning stare from Anna that flickered back and forth between her and Jack at his nonchalant tone while addressing the Queen. In an effort to block her out and seem less conspicuous Elsa broke the silence, "At what time will your boat be departing today?" She meant for the question to sound curious, but her voice broke on the end of _today_ and she cleared her throat and hoped her red cheeks weren't visible.

"In a hurry for me to leave?"

_Definitely not._ Elsa's mind replied, and she felt a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth at the teasing tone in his voice. "That's not it," She said, avoiding his eyes.

"Well good, because I recall us making plans for this afternoon." Jack answered with a shrug.

Elsa stopped mid-bite. There definitely hadn't been _any_ making of plans the night before.

He continued, directing his gaze to Anna as he rested his chin on his palm. "I'm itching to see Arendelle, and Elsa volunteered to show me around."

Elsa watched as he shrugged his shoulders so carelessly, and when Anna opened her mouth and spoke, the Queen had to resist the urge to leave the table and run to her room. "Liiike a date?" Anna's blue eyes seemed to light up with the brightness of the sun at the idea.

"No!" Elsa said, letting out a nervous laugh and awkwardly shifting in her chair. She had to admit, she was happy the rest of the table seemed distracted by their own conversations and weren't directing the entirety of their focus on her. All she could think about was how ridiculous she must look. And the mischievous look in Jack's eyes didn't help at all. She found herself uncharacteristically excited at the possibility of date. So much so, that she scolded herself in the hopes of remembering exactly why it was that she needed her heart to be alone. Her attempt was unsuccessful as she looked into the blue eyes of the man sitting to her right side.

"Like a tour," Jack corrected, as if he sensed how uncomfortable Elsa was becoming. But the smile on his lips never faded.

Anna pursed her lips, "Well Elsa, you certainly can't leave him without a guide _especially_ after you volunteered."

_I did no such thing…_ Elsa retorted, once again in her head. "I suppose I can't, can I?"

* * *

_Author's Note: _

_Ugh, what a short, choppy transition chapter. _

_I seriously apologize for this. But I needed to write something to introduce the next chapter (which I've actually already started writing)._

_Despite this, please review! I love hearing what people have to say._


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note:_

_Whaaat? Another chapter in less than 24 hours? Yes. I owe it to you guys who follow this story! After my four(?) day absence, especially. And after that crappy transition chapter I gave you for chapter four…_

_Also, I realized that I had been spelling Arendelle wrong and feel like a total jerk-why didn't someone correct me sooner?!-so I've gone back and tried to fix it in all the chapters. _

_Please enjoy and review!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen OR Rise of the Guardians._

* * *

_Chapter Five:_

Elsa stared at Jack Frost as he stepped outside and jumped off the steps into the powder that was coating the stone courtyard in front of the castle. Which may have been unbearably adorable if she wasn't so distracted by the fact that he wasn't wearing shoes.

At first, when she'd seen his bare feet under the table she'd assumed that they had probably gotten wet and he'd left them by the door to dry. Or something along those lines, at least. But from the way he was acting, walking on the frozen ground like it wasn't any different than if it had been the fresh, green grass of spring, she could only rationalize that he hadn't brought shoes. Nor did he seem to want them.

Jack seemed to notice and let out a loud chuckle as he ran up the few stairs and grabbed the queen's hands, tugging her from the warmth of the castle and into the familiar air of winter, "I told you yesterday, didn't I? The cold doesn't bother me."

Elsa blinked, hearing two meanings to the phrase he'd just spoken and felt herself smile as she gently removed her hands from his and picked up a handful of snow. Forming it into a ball, she threw it at him with all her might, landing a direct hit to the side of his head as he was bent down to return fire. And then they were running and laughing through the courtyard, tossing snow at each other until they made it into the town square where a group of children were playing in the snow.

One of them gasped when Elsa approached and nudged the other into standing, "That's the queen!" He cooed, bowing lightly and hitting his friend until he too lowered his head.

Elsa smiled and put her hands on her knees as she bent down to look at them at eyelevel, "How would you guys like to have a little fun?"

Elsa couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard or smiled so much. She had never known what it was like to spend an entire childhood having fun and growing up with friends and snowball fights and making snow angels. She'd only lived in fear of those things and the fun because of the accident she'd had when her and Anna were kids; all she remembered from childhood was the pain and isolation.

Maybe that was why seeing the children and the way their eyes lit up as they ran from each other and the flying snow, caused her to feel so much joy swelling in her heart.

This went on for hours until Jack insisted the children go home and eat and Elsa added a playful, _"Queen's orders!"_ to his sentence. They reluctantly agreed and then raced away to whatever warm hearths they came from, leaving Elsa and Jack on the bridge alone.

As the Queen looked over at him she only found herself more and more curious about him. He was looking back at her, a permanent grin carved into his skin, exhausted and content, chest heaving, as if there was no better place for him to be. Elsa had never felt more comfortable in her life than in that exact moment, standing next to him. She'd never seen someone more in their element before she watched him having fun with those kids. And with her. Elsa tilted her head to one side and looked off into the icy waters of the fjord; she'd had _fun_ today, hadn't she? It felt like it had been forever since the last time she had let herself have real fun. And it was all thanks to Jack Frost.

"I'd like to show you something," Elsa murmured, watching the water lap up onto the docks as many of the guests for the festival began taking their leave.

He grinned and picked up his staff that he'd set aside before the fun had begun hours ago, "Sure."

Elsa led Jack Frost back to the castle, around its grounds and through the garden wordlessly until they reached the clearing that Elsa had found herself so awe-struck by only days ago. Of course, the beauty that had left her so speechless was gone, covered up by the new beauty of freshly fallen snow.

Letting go of his hand, which she must have grabbed at some point during their walk, Elsa told him to wait in the edge of the trees and walked to the center of the meadow, turning the ground under her feet to ice with each step she took until it expanded all around her until it reached the tree line. When she looked back at him, she was expecting some sort of surprise to be obvious on his face, as there always was in anyone who had never seen it before, but instead there was a sense of understanding in his expression and sense of wonder in his smile.

Her mind flashed back to his words, _"I told you yesterday, didn't I? The cold doesn't bother me" _and the double meaning she'd felt behind them. Though she'd never really thought too deeply about it before, as she looked at Jack's face she realized that she had always been afraid of the possibility of a man in her future not accepting her powers as a part of her. She had been afraid of the idea of having to conceal them again for someone she cared deeply about… and that thought terrified her. Because she never again wanted to live in _fear_ of herself.

Almost excited, Elsa lifted her arms and let the snow swirl around her, she kicked her shoes off and let her feet create unique patterns under the ice as she spun, closing her eyes and reveling in the freedom she felt in this moment, with the smiling eyes of Jack Frost following her every move. After a few moments, she lowered her arms and the storm disappeared as she laughed and met the eyes of her companion. "I'm… happy this doesn't scare you." She admitted, face flushed from the events of the day and the gaze she was under.

"It's amazing," Jack said, letting his eyes stray from her to the beauty she'd just created as he leaned against a tree, clutching his staff tightly in his hand.

"You think so?" She smiled, pushing some stray hair behind her ear, unreasonably flattered by his response. Elsa made her way back to him, walking across the ice she'd created until she was standing less than a foot away. "C'mon!" She laughed, tugging on his arm, and pulling him onto the ice after he'd let his staff fall into the snow.

And then they danced. Not near as gracefully as they had the night before, but closer, and with much more laughter. Barefoot on the ice, they spun together until the sun disappeared behind the trees until finally some faulty footing brought them both down, Elsa on her butt and Jack flat on his back.

Jack grinned up at Elsa and slid himself so that his head was resting in her lap, "If it's alright with you," He said, not breaking eye contact as he stared up into her surprised eyes. "I'd like to stay here… In Arendelle, a little longer."

The Queen felt herself smile again, certain that if she smiled any more today her cheeks would be sore in the morning. "S-sure…" Elsa answered, having to avert her eyes as the smoldering stare forced her heart to jump.

"Oh, sorry," He chuckled, "Am I doing it again?"

She rolled her eyes sarcastically and nodded, certain he knew full well the way he was staring at her. From the corner of her vision she could still see the icy blue eyes trained to her face, with a sigh she looked back down at him—in the hopes of coming up with some sort of witty remark— only to once again feel the nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach, making it impossible to look away.

"Elsa," He said suddenly, his face turning serious, catching her off guard, "There's something I've gotta show you." And then Jack was on his feet, scanning the snow at the foot of each tree until he found his staff. He ran over to it clumsily, sliding on the ice, and Elsa swore that as soon as it was in his grasp, the warped wood changed color, though in the darkness of the trees, she couldn't be sure.

Jack Frost was staring at it with such intensity that it almost felt like he'd forgotten she was there until his blue eyes darted up to meet hers and then back down at the staff. And then suddenly he smiled up at her and as soon as his barefoot touched the hard surface, frosty swirls and frozen patterns began expanding from under his feet, all around the rink that the Queen had created identical to those she had seen in this clearing before the festival.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I was really aiming for quality here since chapter four was terribly lacking… _

_Please review!_

_(and thanks to those who wished me a happy birthday, that was so sweet)!_


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